Checker-brick and checkerwork construction



Oct. 18, 1932. J. H. FRANCE CHEQKER BRICK AND CHECKERWORK CONSTRUCTION Filed July 10, 1950 gwuentoz b17788 h. Fiance,

Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE JAMES H. FRANCE, OF PHILIPSBURGQ PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO 3'. H. FRANCE I REFRACTOR-IES COMPANY, OF SNOW SHOE, PENNSYLVANIA A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA cHEcxER-Bmciz AND CHEGKERWORK consrnuc'rrou Application filed July 10,

This invention relates to new and useful im provements in checker-brick and checker work construction particularly adapted for use in regenerator-furnaces and thelike, and

' .It is a further object of this invention to provide a checker-brick which is eflicient, cheap, possessing a stability which. minimizes replacements, and of such shape as to allow the construction of a checkerwork having great rigidity and strength.

It is another object of this invention to provide a checker-brick so designed that when the same is in place in a checkerwork, there will be no broad surfaces exposed for the deposition of flue dust which tend to clog the horizontal flues and the furnace archings over the vertical flues. 1

Still another object is to provide a checkerbrick for use in checkerwork construction which will give vertical and horizontal flue areas adapted to allow free passage of the furnace gases to all parts of the setting without lessening the heating and radiating surface areas of the respective bricks in the construction. I 1

A further object is to providea checkerbrick having one sloping wall which not only increases the vertical and horizontal flue areas of a checkerwork, but also provides novel diagonal flues adapted todirect the flow of gases or baffle the same in accordance with the manner in which the sloping surfaces of the bricks in adjacent layers and rows are arranged with respect to each other. we

Other objects and advantages of my novel 1930. Serial No. 467,094.-

checker-bri'ck and checkerwork will in part be obvious and in part become apparent as the description proceeds;

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated the preferred embodiments of my invention, but it is to be understood that the same is capable of a reasonable degree of mod ification and equivalency with respect to size, proportions, and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as determined by the appended claims.

In the drawing: v

Fig. '1' is a perspective view of my novel checker-brick;

Fig. 21s a view in perspective, illustrating,

generally the manner in which checker-bricks of the type shown in Fig. 1 may be set in layers and rows to form a checkerwork;

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section, of a checkerwork showing in particular the definitely defined diagonal fiues and directory influence on the gases made possible by the use of my novel checker-brick; and

Fig. 4: is a view in vertical section of a checkerwork differing from the arrangement of bricks in'Fig. 3 in that the sloping'surfaces of the alternate layers of brick are oppositely disposed to cause a baflling of the gases between the various vertical flues.

Referring now to the drawings, I have, in Fig. 1, shown a preferred embodiment of the checker brick whichv constitutes the es? sence of my invention. In its outside dimension it may conform to those of any standard type checker-brick. The ends of the brick may be square or rectangular for the purposev of providing convenient and stable support for adjacent bricks when the same are set up in a checkerwork construction. Such ends, however, are not essential and any convenientmeans may be utilized to enable the bricks to be assembled to form a firm construction. The essential feature of my checker-brick is the cross-sectional shape of the brick intermediate the square or rectan gular ends, whereby the heating surface will be so related to the cubical contentof the brick as to eliminate the danger of cold spots in the interior of the brick, and I accomplish this without eliminating the flat base and one vertical face. I have found that by providing a sloping surface intermediate the ends of the brick cutting the top and one face of the brick and whose plane intersects the plane of the other face and bottom at'an angle 'lessthan 90 degrees, a maximum heating or radiating surface will be providedin relationto thecubical content so that no point within the brick is so far distant from one of the faces or the sloping surface as not to be readily heated.

Referring to the figure, lOdenotes, generally, my checker-brick, which, as above pointed out, may have square or rectangular ends. lntersecting the sides 11 and 12 intermediate the ends is sloping surface 18 which, as shown-in Fig. 3, is so related to the bottom 1% and the flat side 15 that point within the interior of the brick between such sloping surface and the bottom and face is relatively close to the surface. Whi e for purposes of stable construction'f prefer to have the sloping surface 13 intersect the top 11 and side 12 along-lines slightly removed from the lines of joinder of the top 11 and side 15 and the side 12'and bottom 14, it wil. be understood that such construction is not necessary but, on the other hand, the boundaries of the sloping surface 18 may be defined by the lines of intersection of the sides with the topand bottom so that in cross section the brick will have the shape of a true right angle triangle lVhil'e the side and bottom may be of different widths, I prefer to have them equal so that the angle formed between the sloping surface and the bottom and side will be 45 degrees, as, by experiment, it has been demonstrated that the best ratio of heating surface to cubical content will thus be obtained'.

Not only does the above described checkerbrick have a greater elhciency, due to a better ratio between the heating surface and the cubical content, but possesses certain additional advantages which make it admirably suited for use in checkerwork construction for regenerative furnaces. By reason of the angular relation between the sloping surface and the side of thebrick, the furnace gases will be subjected to a directory influence. Referring to Fig; 2", which shows the manner in which. bricks of my novel design be assembled in: layers and rows to constitute a checkerworlnit'will be evident that not only are vertical and horizontal flues formed by reason of the setting of the bricks, but also, due to! the provision of the sloping surfaces on. the bricks, the furnace rectedi diagonally from one vertical line to the acent flue formed between oppositely disposed bricks. with the result that the furnace gases will be brought in contact with more. of the surface of the checkerwork. Thus, gases which come into the vertical flue defined in part by the checker-bricks 16, 17',

ases will be di- 18 and 19, will be directed downwardly and outwardly from said vertical flue by reason of the sloping faces 20, 21 and 22 on therespective bricks 1'5, 18 and 19.

The directory effect on the gases which is made possible by reason of the sloping surat will in accordance with the location of the sloping surfaces on the bricks in adja cent columns and rows. The construction shown in Fig. 8 corresponds to the arrangement of bricks shown in the perspective View Fig. 2 wherein the sloping surfaces of all of the bricks in adjacent rows and columns face in the same direction with the result that the gases are directed diagonally downward from left to'right. Assuming that gases enter the checkerwork from the left, such-as would be true if the bridge wall is located at this end and the stack at the right, such gases as enter the vertical'flue defined in part by the bricks 26' and 27 will be baflied downwardly by the vertical face 23 of the brick 24% and will be given a diagonal direction by the face 25 of the brick 26. Gases entering through the horizontal flue defined by bricks 26 and 28 will be directed downwardly at an angle by the sloping surface 27 of brick 28 in cooperation with the oppositely disposed vertical face 29 of the brick 30.

A further important advantage arising by reason of the utilization of a brick having substantiallytriangular cross section, resides in the fact that both the horizontal and vertical flue areas are substantially increased without lessening the available heating sur face as determined by the individual bricks making up the checkerwork. With the larger flue areas, there will be less tendency for fine dust to deposit on the bricks and the gases will be allowedfree passage the setting. I

In Fig. 4, I have shown another manner in which my novel type of checker-brick may be utilized in a checkerwork construction differing from that shown in Fig. 3 in that adjacent bricks in the several vertical colto all parts of umns have their sloping faces oppositely dis-V posed for the purpose of baffling the furnace gases backwards and forwards between'ad acent flues, instead of utilizing the sloping surfaces of bricks in oppositely disposed col face on the checker-bricks may be regulated umns merely to give the gases a diagonally downward direction from one end of the checker-work to the other. Thus, gases impinging on the sloping surface 32 of the brick 31 will be directed downwardly at an angle to the left, and, mingling with other gases, will impinge on the oppositely disposed sloping surface 34 of'the brick 33 to be given a downward diagonal direction towards the right. 7 i i It will be clear from the above described checkerwork constructions that my novel type brick possesses numerous advantages over what has heretofore been known in the art Q and gives rise to certain desirable features tures which arise from the utilization of my brick in checkerwork and which would be common to all types of construction are that the horizontal and vertical flue areas in the checkerwork are increased, distinct diagonal fiues are created and, by reason of faces continuously flat throughout the length the sloping surface of the bricks, the furnace gases may be directed through all parts of the settingand, if desirable, bafiied back and forth between adjacent vertical and horizontal fiues.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to construct checkerwork bricks having a flat base and either conversely curved or fiat sloping sides terminating in an upper edge. Certain advantages of my checker-brick over such type of brick will be readily understood from a comparsion of checkerwork construction made from the respective types of brick. With the brick having a wedge shaped cross section, since both of the sides of the brick slope upwardly, no directory influence can be exercised on the furnace gases, whereas with my checker-brick I am able to exercise a directory influence on the gases between the sloping surfaces of the bricks in one vertical column of a checkerwork in cooperation with the Vertical faces of corresponding bricks in adjacent oppositely disposed vertical columns. Furthermore, my checker-brick, taken as a unit, possesses an advantage over the various types of brick heretofore known in the art in that, by reason of the design of the brick to have a flatbottom and flat vertical side in con- 1. A checker-brick of rectangular crosssection in portions of its length, two of whose adjacent faces are flat throughout its length, the other two faces being cut away for another portion of the length so as'to form a sloping surface which with the first two adjacent faces forms substantially a right angle triangle.

2. A checker-brick having a flat base and a flat vertical face at right angles to the 3. A checker-brick of high ratio of heating surface to cubical content having two faces continuously fiat throughout the length of the brick, and for the major portion of itslength having a cross-sectional area ap proximating a right angle triangle defined by a surface including a third face angu larly related to the first two faces, the brick in other portions of its length being provided with a surface parallel with the base adapted to support the brick in a checkerwork.

a. A checker-brick having two adjacent of the brick and disposed at right angles, and for the major portion of its length having a third face forming approximately degree angles with the first two faces to define in such portion a cross-sectional area of substantially right angle triangular shape, the brick in other portions having a horizontal surface parallel with one of the first mentioned faces to support the brick with relation to other bricks in a checkerwork.

5. A checkerwork construction comprising in combination a plurality of horizontal ,rows of brick arranged in columns and extendin at right angles to adjacent rows to form verticaland horizontal lines, the bricks each having ends formed wlth parallel horizontal surfaces adapted to support the brick in relation to other bricks and having a flat base and a flat vertical face at right angles to the base extending throughout the length of the bricks, the bricks for the major por- 1 tion of their length also each having a sloping face defining with the base and vertical face in such portions a substantially right angular cross-section, the sloping faces of the bricks defining diagonal flues between adjacent horizontal and vertical flues.

In testlrnony whereof, I affix my slgnature.

JAMES H. FRANCE.

base, said base and face being continuous throughout the length of the brick, the brick being provided with end portions formed to support the brick in a checkerwork and having a cross-sectional area for the major portion of its length approximating a right angle triangle. V 

